The Dark Hobby follows conservationists and scientists who will stop at nothing to protect what’s underwater, which as always comes down to the battle between commerce and conservation. Aquarium trade extraction is an industry worth billions that has devastated reef species and habitats globally.

In early 2021, a  Hawaii Circuit court upheld the Supreme Court ruling that the aquarium trade must end. The relentless ten-year legal battle unravels and weaves through this film, showing that while so many animals are protected, those underwater are regularly abused.

“In Hawaii, the reefs, turtles, whales and dolphins are all protected, but everyone forgot the fish” is the tagline for this movie and it really speaks to what this is all about. Director Paula Fouce really captures the subject well and kept my mind quite open to the things I may have never known before, such as how cyanide is used to knock out fish and bring them to pet stores.

The Dark Hobby is available on iTunes, AppleTV, YouTube, GooglePlay, Vudu and Vimeo